LZ Sunday Paper Newsletter: The "Making It To The Finals" Edition
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Readers,
I really appreciated all your good wishes and inquiries regarding the outcome of my tennis tourney last week. Thank you! We managed to emerge victorious! in our 8-game pro-set win over two good friends. Here we are. Tennis champs pictured right. #womenwhoarewinners is all of us.
Speaking of making it to the finals, but not quite being able to clinch-- that leads me to the second subscriber thank-you. For all of you who sent that New York Times article that basically confirms the experiences of those doing the choosing of, and those being shut out of, the finalists in the CEO-level game.
Confirmed: It's not a "pipeline problem." The pipeline is chock-full. More than 50% of undergraduate and professional degrees conferred, more than 50% of those entering corporate level positions are women.
Confirmed: Women are perceived negatively for the same character traits as men are perceived positively (bitchy vs. aggressive; a whiner vs. someone who asks good questions; a robot vs. a good soldier).
Confirmed: Women are not allowed to be evaluated as individuals, they are evaluated as "the female candidate." Will be considered, but likely destined not to be chosen. If she's "mediocre," he's "the solid choice." If she doesn't have a strong personality or doesn't try to dominate the room, she "lacks gravitas." If she's from an MBA or Finance background, she's "an empty suit," he's "financially and strategically capable." If she's from a marketing or consumer background, she's "not financially literate," he's "innovative and customer-centric." If she is innovative, a consistent new idea generator, and drives rapid growth by challenging the status quo, she "has sharp elbows" and "breaks too much glass," while he is a "disruptor." Put in those terms, who would you hire?
To briefly touch on only the first point, one question to ask is: who are the folks who create the "pipeline" in the first place? It is very frequently the highest-level recruiters. The top CEO and Board Practice partners in the blue chip firms have for decades largely reflected their (white, male) CEO counterparts. Their networks were identical so the pools of candidates under consideration -- for CEO's and Board Seats -- were also near-identical. Under a modicum of pressure in the past few years, the process is changing, slightly. BTW, I am personally a beneficiary of this! But the numbers overall are not changing one whit.
To more broadly change the outcome, another place to focus is on shifting the pipeline that feeds the actual folks who create the pipeline. Easier said than done. Pushing the (now-irritating phrase) pipeline analogy, that's like changing all the snow on the top of the mountain in order to collect different water in the reservoir that THEN flows into the pipes that might one day reach our glasses.
But then again I'm a person who looks at the world not as my cup being half-empty versus half-full, but rather as me being lucky to not die of thirst, especially while on a tennis court during a heat wave.
Subscribers, I've tried to broaden my pipeline of interesting stuff for you to peruse. Catch up on this week's must-read news by and about women in business, media, digital, politics, and every aspect of pop culture. It's hand-picked by me, for you, each week, right here. Enjoy and share. Subscribe if you don't already. Sign your friends up. Believe me, they'll unsubscribe if they don't care for it.
Send me comments, questions, or stuff you think should go in next week's edition here. I have a bajillion pieces that I just don't have room for in the weekly edition, so you can follow me on Twitter to get a more frequent fix.
I am on Insta @LZSundayPaper.
Check out my other Insta and get a glimpse of how I see the world at @LZFloors . Ton of great stuff from my travels near and far, recently.
See you next week,
//LZ
THE PIC(K) OF THE WEEK:
With Speeches and Bright Dresses, Quinceaneras Protest Sanctuary City Ban via NPR
ICYMI:
Why Women Aren't CEO's, According To Women Who Almost Were via The New York Times
NEWS & POLITICS:
Legal Fight Could Make Kentucky The Only State With No Abortion Clinic via The New York Times
Navy Has First Female Applicants For SEAL Officer, Special Boat Units via Military.com
Female Mayors Want To Blow Up The Term 'Women's Issues' via Politico
A Warrant To Search Your Vagina via The New York Times
BUSINESS, MEDIA, DIGITAL & TECH:
When Companies Go Public, The Board Is A Boys Club via The Wall Street Journal
VC Firms Promise To Stamp Out Sexual Harassment. Sounds Familiar via Wired
This Influential Silicon Valley Firm Is Spearheading A Blacklist Of Venture Capitalists Accused Of Harassing Women via The Washington Post
Why The U.K.'s Crackdown On Sexist Ads Is Such A Big Deal via Fortune
MEDIA, ARTS & POP CULTURE:
Wonder Woman Is Now Sure To Be Summer's Biggest Hit via Forbes
How Do You Make A Responsible Movie About Anorexia via The New Yorker
The Irish Film Board To Introduce Ground-Breaking New Funding Initiatives For Female Writers and Directors via The Irish Film Board
It's About Time: The Coming Of A Female Dr. Who Is Even More Consequential Than You Thought via Salon
How Black Women Are Shaking Up The Comedy World via The Los Angeles Times
Meet The Female CEO's Running Fashion's Biggest Brands via Fashionista
New LPGA Dress Code Rules Spark Debate Among Players via CBS News
Lewes Becomes First Pro Soccer Club To Pay Men and Women Equally via The Girls Soccer Club
Queen Elizabeth Revealed Her Favourite Pop Song, And It's A Gay Anthem via Pink News
Jane Austen Banknote Unveiled--With A Strange Choice Of Quotation via The Guardian
AND WHAT'S NOT TO LOVE ABOUT:
Queen Elizabeth's Life In Banknotes via History In Pictures
The LZ Sunday Paperâ„¢ launched at the dawn of 2014. We expose and recirculate interesting content that is about, and frequently by, women in business, with a dose of ultra-relevant culture. We think that culture comes high and low, not much in between. Our audience is vast and not gender-driven. Every week we expect to deliver at least one good laugh. Send suggestions, clips, or names of people you think might enjoy this to LZSundayPaper@gmail.com.
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